From Mr J. Muscat

I refer to Peter Reidhammer’s letter entitled “Gozo - what’s missing?” (TMIS, 13 January).

I was really surprised to learn that notwithstanding his 20-year knowledge of Gozo, your esteemed City Planner from Munich discovered just recently, through the magazine Let’s Gozo, that a Gozo Tourism Association does exist in Gozo. What he doesn’t seem to have discovered is the fact, that this Association, headed by a chairman, with a general secretary and a 14-member council, is a non-governmental association with no authority whatsoever.

For the Chief City Planner’s information, the Gozo Tourism Association (and please note the word Association) was formed way back in February 1999 by the Gozitan stakeholders who work in the tourism industry in Gozo. The two main objectives of this 155 member strong Association are the following:

To promote Gozo as an all year round distinct tourist destination

To unite all those operating in the tourism industry in Gozo in dealing with all questions concerning and affecting the tourist industry.

For the further information of the German City Planner, a council elected from among all GTA members runs the association voluntarily. While the members of the Association pay an annual subscription of €46.58 (Lm20), the council members sit on the council without being remunerated for any of their services.

For the general knowledge of the Munich City Planner, “the esteemed secretary general” spends his day running a leading tourist establishment in Gozo. During his very little spare time, at the expense of his family, he spends many hours working assiduously against all odds to achieve the Association’s objectives. Similarly, all the other council members are likewise involved.

To bring your esteemed City Planner in line with the Gozo Tourism Association work, I am listing hereunder only 10 of our humble achievements during our nine (9) fledgling years

Publication of the Gozo Guide Book ‘Island of Myth and Miracles’ published in English and Italian.

Publication of two editions of the Gozo Directory of Tourism Services.

Representing Gozo annually within the Malta stand in the following tourism Trade Fairs: World Travel Market (London), ITB (Berlin), BIT (Milan) and Destinations (London)

The scuttling off ix-Xatt l-Ahmar of three vessels, namely MV Xlendi, MV Cominoland and MV Karwela.

Promoters of the following tourism projects that were realized or are being realized on Gozo and were co-financed through EU funds:

Recompression Chamber

Niche tourism-diving master plan, including a market plan

Hotel School in Qala (very close to your contributor’s “lovely home”)

State-of-the-art showcases for the Archaeological Museum.

Gozo Tourism Association members are participating in the Gozo Channel Winter Schemes in their endeavours to create the much-needed activity for Gozo’s economy throughout the winter season.

The Gozo Tourism Association is the co-publisher of the magazine Lets Gozo, through which your esteemed City Planner made the great discovery of the Gozo Tourism Association.

The 30-second TV spots promoting Gozo for the domestic market currently being screened at peak hours on TVM.

Promoters of the MIA-Cirkewwa shuttle bus service.

Promoters of the discounted contribution rates to all Gozitan tourist establishments.

Finally, but most importantly, over the past nine years the Gozo Tourism Association has managed to gain respect, repute and recognition, as the single most valid representative of the tourism industry on Gozo.

Along with this contribution, I recommend your City Planner to consult the Oxford Concise Dictionary to learn the difference between Authority and Association before embarking on slinging mud.

For the pleasure of your City Planner, in my Lets Gozo contribution under the header “The Missing Link”, I was simply, but strongly bringing to the attention of the authorities how vital the air link is for the sustainability of the tourism industry on Gozo. The Gozo Tourism Association would like to assure your contributor that it will leave no stone unturned until that day comes when Gozo can boast of having an airstrip. Who knows, a city planner might be the right person to consult in this eventuality.

It is a pity that this expatriate wasted his 20 years on Gozo and instead of teaching us how to plan our island, he learned from some Gozitan two-legged “huge big” rodents how to grumble. The secretary general and the Gozo Tourism Association had taken your contributor’s advice a long time ago and had indeed pulled their socks up, and have kept on lighting candles instead of cursing the dark in the tourism industry on Gozo.

Should the above explanation, meet your contributor esteemed understanding, I feel confident that I have no need to dwell on the rest of his comments, since our competency and responsibility fall very short in their regard.

May I assure Mr Reidhammer that we at the Gozo Tourism Association are aware of our island’s potential. We have been striving to enhance Gozo’s tourism prospects not for personal gain but for the benefit of Gozo’s tourism industry’s sustainability.

Joe Muscat

Secretary

Gozo Tourism Association